FALL BREAK AND ELI TURNS 15!

We had so much fun the year before for just a couple of days that we had to go again this year with Jared and stay the whole week! Bo got hurt the week before so sadly he had to have surgery and Kati needed to stay with him so we took Nash with us! The boys were looking forward to this for months!!! We shared a house with the Browns, Merrills, Varvels & Infangers and the Halls when Adam showed up half way through with Warner and Tilly. This is our favorite week. The boys run back and forth between all their friends beach houses and everyone hangs out and plays games and we make many many trips to Superbowl Acai place - I think I could eat there every meal! Many bike rides, shopping on the pier, etc. This year ended up being a little different. The day before we left for California there was a major oil spill in Newport - right where we were staying. We were supposed to stay out of the water...well...we didn't. but several of us did get oil all over our bodies and ruined clothes, shoes, etc. It just made it more of an adventure! We are still recovering from the aftermath of covid and we would just see all the big shipping containers sitting out in the ocean just hanging out and waiting for someone to unload them. The kids had the best time and even Jared enjoyed relaxing as well! This year with Eli turning 15 in the middle of the break - we thought it would be fun to get all the kids his age and go to Disneyland to celebrate him for the day! We all bought matching shirts! Jake was not going to come because he had just gone 4 days earlier but then last minute tried to come, but Disneyland was out of tickets so sadly he missed it. But Eli still had the best time with: Braxten, Chloe, Grace, Taylor and Kate! Me, Amber and Brooklyn went to "supervise" - ha ha! We opened the park and shut it down!! It was the best day! We just followed all the kids around and sometimes they would ditch us and go ride their own rides and then track us down when it was food time - ha ha! These are memories that will hopefully last Eli a lifetime! These beach trips always make me so happy! So glad we do these - so much fun for these boys - they are so lucky and spoiled and have no idea! We are certainly blessed to have all these good family friends surrounding us! 

GOODBYE LULULEMON!

 Goodbye Lululemon! It was fun while it lasted! I didn't even want to work there, but Liz kept insisting that I join just for the holidays...she probably just wanted the referral money - ha ha! But she finally wore me down and I agreed to work there for the holidays - I mean it would be 4 months and I could work at night so I wouldn't miss my family things and I would get a discount on the clothes. Well....the holiday turned into 3 years and 51 weeks! I got tired of being a grown up and having to ask for time off, I got tired of missing my kids sports games on Saturdays, I was over the clothes, I was over working retail...they were very good to me, they always wanted me to work full time or be a key lead....but I always just wanted to clock in and clock out. Jared would often say to me, "try to bring home more than you spend". The job benefitted the whole family except for the twins (they were to small) - everyone was decked in Lulu from head to toe. Eli was in jr high and loved telling people I worked there - he said it gave him clout! ha ha! I had a handful of co-workers whom I loved and adored! I was old enough to be their mom, but they were the best! Here is me and Leona on my last day!